DFNB16, a recessive form of mild-to-moderate human deafness, is caused by mutations in the STRC gene, which encodes stereocilin, a protein essential for the effective function of outer hair cells as cochlear amplifiers. Researchers from the Institut Pasteur and Sorbonne Université in Paris, France, have developed and evaluated the efficacy of an Strc gene therapy in a mouse model of DFNB16.